A subset of WPC's product suite is now provided in a GIS (Geographic Information System)
Shapefile format.
Products are available for download via the NCEP anonymous FTP server at
ftp.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/shapefiles.

If clicking on the above link does not work, then access can be gained by:

qpf -- WPC
Excessive Rainfall Forecasts and QPFs.
Both 6- and 24-hour QPFs for Days 1, 2, and 3 are provided, as well as Day 1-2 and Day 1-3
accumulated precipitation. Also available are the 48-hour Day 4-5 and 5-day total QPFs.

The .tar files in each subdirectory contain the required three files (.dbf, .shp, .shx) to
import and display using most GIS software packages. Additionally, a fourth file (.prj) is included
and provides map projection information
in order to align correctly with other geodata files.

Below are details regarding the contents of the abovementioned subdirectories, as well as file naming conventions
and any updates we make to file names or data contained within the shapefiles.

Significant River Flood Outlook (fop subdirectory)

The Significant River Flood Outlook is created once per day
and is typically available by 20-21Z. The file naming convention is fop_yyyymmdd.tar where:

yyyymmdd is the year (yyyy), month (mm), and day (dd) the product was created

In addition, the file FLOODOUTLOOK_latest.tar will contain the most recent product.

Note that files of zero size indicate that no significant river flooding is expected for the upcoming
5 day period.

Updates:

February 9, 2009 -- The latest outlook is now available as the static file name FLOODOUTLOOK_latest.tar.

For the Heat Index Forecasts, there are subdirectories corresponding to the issuance date.
Within these subdirectories are files containing the Daily Mean, Minimum, and Maximum Heat Index forecasts
for Days 3-7 over the contiguous U.S. The file naming convention is prodhi_yyyymmddfhhh.tar, where:

yyyymmdd is the year (yyyy), month (mm), and day (dd) the product was created

fhhh is the forecast hour. For example, "f072" corresponds to Day 3, "f096" to Day 4, etc...

Example:
The file meanhi_20070606f120.tar is the Day 5 Daily Mean Heat Index forecast issued on June 6, 2007 and
valid June 11, 2007.

The forecast data contained within these shapefiles are points evenly spaced (at approximately a 20 kilometer
resolution) over the
contiguous U.S. and do not necessarily correspond to a particular city or town.

Note that files are created daily, but this product is operational only from May 1 through September 30.

In the day12 and day13 subdirectories, the file naming convention is ppppp_yyyymmddcc.tar, where:

ppppp is the product identifier (day12 or day13)

yyyymmdd is the year (yyyy), month (mm), and day (dd) the product was created

cc is the forecast cycle

The file QPF48hr_Day1-2_latest.tar contains the most recent Day 1-2 QPF.
The file QPF72hr_Day1-3_latest.tar contains the most recent Day 1-3 QPF.

In the day45 subdirectory, the file naming convention is p48i_yyyymmddcc.tar, where:

yyyymmdd is the year (yyyy), month (mm), and day (dd) the product was created

cc is the forecast cycle (00Z or 12Z)

The file QPF48hr_Day4-5_latest.tar contains the most recent Day 4-5 QPF.

In the 5day subdirectory, the file naming convention is 95e_yyyymmddcc.tar, where:

yyyymmdd is the year (yyyy), month (mm), and day (dd) the product was created

cc is the forecast cycle (00Z or 12Z)

The file QPF120hr_Day1-5_latest.tar contains the most recent Day 1-5 QPF.

Finally, there is a directory named excessive that contains the Days 1-3 Excessive Rainfall forecasts.
The file naming convention is ppp_yyyymmddcc.tar, where:

ppp is the product identifier (94e, 98e, or 99e)

yyyymmdd is the year (yyyy), month (mm), and day (dd) the product was created

cc is the forecast cycle

The most recent forecasts are copied into files that include a "_latest" in the file name.

Note that files of zero size indicate that no organized areas of rainfall exceeding flash flood
guidance are expected for the given forecast period.

Updates:

September 23, 2008 -- The labeling of the attributes for the QPF products was modified
to provide more information about the contours. The primary change was to include a
valid date and time for each forecast.

February 9, 2009 -- The latest forecast products are now available as static file names.
For instance, in the day1 subdirectory, the file QPF6hr_f12-f18_latest.tar
is the most recently issued 6-hour QPF for the 12-18 hour forecast period. Please see
above for details of file naming conventions.

nn represents the accumulation threshold. For snow, the value will be 04, 08, or 12.
For instance, a file in which nn
is 04 contains the forecast probability of snowfall exceeding 4 inches.

For freezing rain, the value will always be 25, as the product depicts the probability of freezing rain
accumulating more than .25 inch

yyyymmdd is the year (yyyy), month (mm), and day (dd) the product was created

cc is the forecast cycle (00Z or 12Z)

The most recent forecasts are copied into files that include a "_latest" in the file name.

Files of zero size indicate that the probability of receiving at least 4, 8, or 12 inches of snow or
.25 inch of freezing rain is less than 10% over the CONUS for the given forecast period.

Please note that forecasts are created only between September 15 and May 15.

Updates:

October 6, 2008 -- The labeling of the attributes for the winter weather products was modified
to provide more information about the contours. The probability products are more clearly
labeled and include a valid date and time for each forecast.

February 9, 2009 -- The latest forecasts are now available as static file names.
Files containing "_latest" in their file name represent the most recently issued winter weather product.